Gateways: Nakamaship
by xdreamernumbuhfour
Summary: A series of one-shots set in my Gateways Universe. Nakamaship. OCs.
1. Almost a Brotherly Thing

**Gateways: Nakama**

**Summary: A set of one-shots set in my Gateways Universe. Nakamaship. OCs.**

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><p><em>1. Almost a Brotherly Thing<em>

_Summary: Zoro's feelings for the Captain and Alchemist were almost brotherly. Not that he'd ever say anything, though. . ._

_Warnings: OCs, Fluff, slight angst._

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><p>Roronoa Zoro was not known for being thoughtful or very wise, but he had his moments. He made impulsive decisions and never once regretted them. It was just the way he was. The man he was.<p>

He didn't regret his duel with Kuina or his vow to become the greatest swordsman in the world. Nor did he regret joining the crazy kid in the straw hat.

He guessed that he was just crazy but hey, he had saw a girl die and get back up. If that wasn't crazy then he had absolutely nothing to worry about. Right?

Yes, Zoro had made several crazy decisions, but he stood by them with an iron will.

So, when he decided to play 'big brother' to a pair of kids he barely knew, he knew he'd have to stand by it.

Luffy and Kim were, in a word, odd.

Luffy was to be expected. The kid was made of rubber and babbled about becoming King of the Pirates. Odd indeed. Not to mention the fact that he acted like a five year old on a sugar rush.

Kim, well, she was an entirely different story.

He barely knew a thing about her and had to rely on observation alone to learn about the tiny brunette.

He knew that she was tough, physically at least. She had fallen from the sky and had been fatally stabbed in the stomach and survived (though he was sure there was more to it that just luck!). In addition to that, she was exotic, something that he'd never seen before.

She used words and gestures and references that he wasn't entirely familiar with and the way her voice lilted confused him. He had never heard an accent quite like hers before.

And then there were her eyes.

Zoro had seen eyes like that but rarely on one so young.

Luffy's eyes were like that too, most noticeably when talking of his hat or the famous Red-Haired Shanks he adored so much.

Kim's eyes were like that when she just woke up or fussed over her jacket. It was there in those rare moments when she spoke of home. Of never knowing what was going on there or how her family was doing.

Zoro had never had much of a family, at least, not that he could remember, so he couldn't know what it was like for the golden-eyed girl. He supposed it was like the ache in his chest when he thought of his sensei or the kids from the dojo that trailed after him.

The ache went away sometimes, more often now that he was playing 'big brother' to Luffy and Kim. The look in their eyes went away too, and it made him wonder if that was one of the things that they were missing. If they had someone like a brother on their minds. Maybe that's what Zoro felt for them. An almost brotherly thing.

So maybe he couldn't do wise or thoughtful, but he could be damn good at sort of brotherly.


	2. Here Comes Santa Claus

_2. Here Comes Santa Claus_

_Summary: Nami is a non-believer and Zoro gets a surprise._

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><p>"Kim-san! Wake up!"<p>

"Guhh, Nami?"

"Get up! There's someone upstairs!"

"Oh, you mean Santa."

"… Santa?"

"Yeah, the big guy with the presents. Go back to sleep Nami."

WHUMP!

"Get up!"

"Nami! Put that pillow down!"

"Only if you get up!"

"No! Santa won't leave me anything if I get up. Now, goodnight!"

CRASH!

"NAMI! I SAID NO!"

"Kimi-nee! Nami!"

"Nami-swan! Kimi-hime!"

"Senpai!"

"Oh, way to go Nami! Now we're not gonna get any presents!"

"What the hell is going on?"

"Hi, Zoro, guys. Nami's freaking out over Santa. She thinks he's a burglar."

"Shishi, don't worry! He's here to leave presents."

"Presents?"

"Hai, Chopper. Did I ever tell you about the time I saved Christmas?"

"Really!"

"Hai! It was when I was only seven years old. Santa was sick so Mrs. Claus came to my house and asked me to deliver the presents for him. . ."

"Everyone! Go to sleep if you want your presents!"

"Hai, Kimi-hime!"

"… Sanji-love, as much as I adore you, I'm gonna ask you to get out of my bed."

"But it's cold outside and you're warm!"

"… Damn those puppy-dog eyes. Alright, you can stay."

"I wanna sleep with Sanji and Kimi-nee too!"

"That was wrong on so many levels."

"Stop acting so stupid! There's someone above deck!"

"I'll go look!"

"Boo, Zoro! No presents for you!"

"SHUT UP, BAKA!"

"There he goes . . . and he's gone. Everybody hush so we can hear!"

"Who the hell are you?"

"Hoho, right to the point, Zoro-kun? Well, you are a swordsman!"

". . ."

"Aren't you going to say anything?"

". . . Hn. Are you Santa?"

"Of course! Now, I've got to go. There's an entire world out there waiting for me! Merry Christmas!"

"Hn,"

"Uchiha wannabe."

"Robot ninjas, Usopp, sexy ones."

"Santa's real?"

"Nami! You look sick! Do you need meat? Sanji! Emergency Nami-bento!"

THUMP!

"NAMI-SWAN!"

"Nami-chan!"

"Let her sleep. It's only shock. Anyone up for presents?"

"HAAAAI!"

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><p><strong>AN: Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays guys:)**


	3. Valentine Surprise

_3. Valentine Surprise_

_Summary: Sanji makes Kim go mushy._

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><p>Kim looked around the rather pink village with surprise. Next to her, Zoro shuddered and headed back to the Merry with Nami, who looked just as weirded out as he felt. Of course, Luffy ran off in search of food with Usopp and Ryuuji in tow, no doubt in Kim's mind that they would come back with a violent sugar high. She pittied them when they came down from it.<p>

"Kim~!" a voice cooed in her ear, dripping with love and affection. The brunette turned to Sanji with a weary smile. Her jaw dropped as she saw the giant stuffed animal in his arms.

She was practically smothered with fluff as Sanji threw it at her.

"Wha?" she spluttered, moving the bear so that she wasn't choking on its fake fur.

"I won it just for you!" Sanji announced gleefully, eyes wide and sincere. Kim felt something melt inside her and her will broke down into mush. It was like staring a sad Ryuuji in the face. Damn the cuteness! Dammit!

"Thank you, Sanji." she said with a soft smile. The love-cook's grin grew dopey as Kim pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Your welcome~! Melorine~!" he sang, legs turning into noodles and eye into a heart (literally).

"Do you want to walk around with me?" she asked, forcing a smile on her face as she looked around the gaudy village fair. It turned a little more sincere as Sanji laced his fingers with hers.

"Where shall we go first?" Sanji asked, practically vibrating with excitement. Kim could have laughed. Sanji was extremely Luffy-like when it came to heading into romance. Eager for 'adventure'.

"Wherever you'd like." she said softly. Sanji grinned and began tugging her down the road. Kim sighed patiently and readjusted her new toy on her hip.

It was a very pretty bear, all golden fur and big blue eyes. Just like her love cook.

Kim tightened her grip on Sanji's warm hands and smiled up at him happily.

Maybe Valentines' would be nice this year.


	4. Drunk

_4. Drunk_

_Summary: Kim is a silly drunk._

_Warning: Drunkenness and foul language._

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><p>Kim hated being stressed out. It gave her headaches. Therefore, the teenager made it a point to be as laid back and unconcerned about things to the best of her ability.<p>

But sometimes Life says _Screw you, bitch. I do what I damn well want_. And Kim didn't like it when Life got bitchy.

And right now, that's exactly what it was being. The brunette groaned and clutched at her throbbing head.

"Here," a familiar voice said. Kim looked up to find a bottle of … _something_ shoved in her face.

"Huh?" she questioned intelligently, wondering what the hell Usopp was doing.

"You look like you need it. Wine helps with headaches."

"Are you speaking from experience or making it up?" Kim asked wryly. Nevertheless, she took the offered bottle and popped the cork out, taking a long draft of the bittersweet liquid. Her pale face twisted into a look Usopp found hilarious. "Disgusting."

"You get used to it," the sniper laughed, drinking some of the wine too.

"I never took you for an alcoholic." Kim said lightly, taking the bottle back. They continued like that, passing the bottle of wine between them. "Did you have to break into Sanji's storage for this?"

"Yeah," the sniper shrugged. "But I have a headache too."

"And you'll still have it tomorrow when you have a hangover and an irate _Ero-cook_ on your ass for stealing his stuff."

"Why do you think I'm getting you drunk? Sanji won't do anything if it'll hurt you." Kim snickered at the sniper's words, the wine finally making her head buzz pleasantly.

"He is sweet like that, ain't he?"

"To you an' Nami-chan." Usopp grumbled, suddenly giving off a grumpy air. Kim grinned knowingly.

"Why, you're as green as Zoro's hair!" she exclaimed, making him glare at her. "Is it because of Nami or the fact that he hogs all us ladies?"

"Both," Usopp admitted after a moment of drunken contemplation. "I miss Kaya, but I want to be able to flirt with you and Nami too. Sanji's an asshat about it and freaks out if anyone even looks at you two!"

Kim grinned and threw her arm out, a few drops of wine spilling out onto the deck.

"Sanji's not here now, right? Everyone's asleep and he'll probably kill you in the mornin', so I say flirt away!"

Usopp smirked slightly. "You are _drunk._"

"Yup, happily so with my lightweight ass!" she gave Usopp an accusing glare. "You're drunk too, buddy!"

"Of course I am." the sniper snickered, tilting his head back to stare at the stars. "But wine doesn't make me silly like you."

Kim pouted and there was a long pause.

"I think that Nami might have a crush on you." Kim announced suddenly, peering into the wine bottle. It was difficult to see into, the moonlight not enough to properly illuminate the bottle.

"What?" Usopp spluttered, giving her a wide eyed look. Kim turned and locked her gold eyes with his hazel ones. "You don't know what you're talking about, _Baka._"

"I'm serious!" Kim insisted, eyes wide and earnest. Usopp scowled and pushed her away from his face. "She likes having someone on the same level as her! She knows she's not a monster like the other guys or a freak of nature like me. You're someone normal like her, who has a natural talent and the brains to wiggle out of something when you don't have the firepower to do it by force. Nami admires you for that!"

The sniper flushed and grumbled at her, but Kim knew her words had stuck. The sniper just blushed and drained the rest of the wine bottle. Kim looked at it sadly.

"_Yare, yare,_" Usopp sighed resignedly. "Come on Kimi-Baka our watch is over and we need to wake up Zoro before we pass out and get attacked in the middle of the night."

Kim giggled and latched on to his arm, tripping and stumbling to the girls' cabin. Just as Usopp was about to turn away, Kim pressed her lips to his cheek in a sloppy kiss.

"Thanks, _Nagahana-chan_. I forgot what I was stressing out about~!"

"Go to bed, Kim." Usopp said fondly, pushing her towards the girls' cabin. She giggled and waved as he headed back to the boys' room.

Kim was strange, but in a nice way.

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><p><em>Translations:<em>

_Ero-cook_ = Love cook

_Baka_ = stupid/idiot/moron

_Yare yare _= "Oh my…"

_Nagahana-chan _= Longnose-chan

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><p><strong>AN: Yeah, I don't even know. Gateways: The Red Fate is being written guys, trust me. I've nearly got the Buggy Arc done and it's twelve chapters long so far. I'm just waiting for the beta'd chapters from Omicron.**


	5. Announcement

Hey guys! I have a bit of an offer for you. My birthday is coming up next month and someone (I have no idea who) is getting me a bunch of manga templates. Yay! Anywho, I was planning on doing something with them for Gateways. So, as of now, I'll be taking story suggestions. The thing is, it can't be too long of a story, it needs villans (a boss and his minions), and a setting. It'll be somewhere between the Morgan Arc and Buggy Arc, so it'll just be Luffy, Zoro and Kim. OCs are welcome as long as you follow the template I have (see Ch17 of Gateways First Coming) and outfit suggestions are as well. And as for the main story, it'll be up as soon as my beta and I figure out why our emails aren't reaching each other. So please bear with me for a little longer!:) 


	6. Hold my Hand

_5. Hold My Hand_

_Summary: Holding hands is the best way to prevent separation. LuffyxKim one-shot_

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><p>Walking through random caves with Luffy in the middle of the night wasn't exactly strange. At least, not for Kim. She was the one who got dragged along with him on most of his impulsive explorations. Everyone else had learned to avoid Luffy when he got in an adventurous mood, but Kim rather enjoyed the little trips that they went on and found them kind of fun. And this adventure was fun.<p>

At least, it had started out being fun.

Somewhere along the way, the tunnel had darkened so much that Kim couldn't see her own hand when it was right in front of her face. And the fact that she couldn't see the sky was causing her to have a bit of a panic attack, but it had been alright when Luffy was with her. But, unfortunately, the two of them had gotten separated somehow - Kim remembered Luffy shouting about something shiny and taking off into the darkness - and she wasn't taking it very well.

Kim was one step away from going crazy in this damned darkness. The whole situation reminded her of some B-rated horror film. Any minute now someone was going to pop up and grab her from behind -

"KIM!" a pair of hands latched on to her shoulders, making her scream and leap in fear. "Kim?"

"L-Luffy?" the brunette gasped, clutching at her chest. Her heart felt like it was going to go into overload. "Please don't do that again!"

"Shishishi, sorry." He didn't sound sorry and Kim couldn't see his face to tell what he was thinking. "I think I found the way out!"

"That's great." Kim sighed in relief, shoulders slumping in relief. "Let's get out of here, Lu."

"Sure." he said, and Kim felt something warm brush against her fingers. "Here, hold my hand so that we don't get separated again!"

Kim was glad for the darkness since it made it impossible for Luffy to see the scarlet hue of her face. She smiled slightly as she laced her fingers with Luffy's, gently squeezing the rubbery appendage. She could practically hear the bones in his face crack from the size of his grin as he pulled her along the tunnel, taking his sweet time about getting to the exit.

Maybe getting lost wasn't so bad. And if they got lost in the tunnels for a little longer, well, that wasn't so bad either.

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><p><strong>Just testing out how LuKi (LuffyKim) would work. Poll results 89/12: 1st place = Luffy, Zoro, and Ace. 2nd place = Sanji. 3rd place = Akane.**


	7. Fall

**Gateways: Nakamaship**

**Fall**

**Summary: Kim rolls out of her hammock and lands on Luffy. Awkwardness ensues. First Coming-Verse**

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><p>She had known it would happen eventually. Kim had never been in a hammock before and the whole thing was incredibly strange to her. Of course, the girls' cabin (or rather, the captain's cabin which had been given to the girls due to Nami's threat of castration) was stocked with beds that would have been more comfortable and familiar for her, however Kim couldn't stand the ginger haired navigator's habit of throwing pillows in her sleep and the brunette got incredibly irritable when woken prematurely. So in order to prevent future fights (because Kim would rather fight with her fists than have a verbal argument), the chronicler had made her place in the boys' cabin (which should have been called the boys' cabin plus Kim), bringing tons of awkwardness and annoyance with her.<p>

Especially for Kim, seeing as she had just rolled out of her hammock and landed on Luffy. Who looked like he was about to cry. Kim wouldn't blame him for it though; she had landed on him with her knees in a very uncomfortable place to be hit. Specifically for a guy. Ouchie.

"Kim," Luffy wheezed painfully, his face twisted into a grimace. "Could you get off me? Now."

"Sorry!" the brunette yelped, scrambling off of him even as he spoke. Unfortunately, the hammock wasn't able to deal with all the swinging that came with Kim's movement and flipped over, sending the two seventeen year olds tumbling to the floor of the cabin, their heads banging together more than once.

Kim and Luffy howled in pain, clutching at their heads and waking everyone on the ship.

Kim was horrified by the whole thing (caused by her no less), her ears red and face firmly buried in her hands, unable to watch as Zoro brought a bed from the girls' cabin and placed it next to the wall far away from Luffy's hammock. No repeats then.

The brunette climbed into bed with a meekness that seemed odd on her and quietly erected a barrier of pillows between her and the open side of the bed. She'd die of embarrassment before she allowed herself to roll out of bed again.


	8. Deleted Scenes Ch 10-12

**Deleted Scenes**

**0o0**

**So, these are some deleted scenes from Gateways: The Red Fate that I thought might entertain you guys. Enjoy~!**

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><p><strong><span>Chapter Ten <span>**

**(Nami Enters)**

Kim had never dealt with boredom well. Boredom caused her to do two things: eat or annoy someone as entertainment. And since they had run out of food a while ago, Kim had moved in on Zoro to amuse herself.

"Leonore, I swear if you don't stop, I'll throw you overboard." Zoro growled warningly, glaring at the brunette. Kim ignored him and continued her attempts to play with his hair. She had already put Luffy's hair up in little pony tails and barrettes, which the rubber captain seemed fine with. He grinned at Zoro, his bangs pulled back by a pair of neon yellow hair clips.

"Shishishi, don't worry about it Zoro! We're the only ones here to see you." Ah, so that was why Luffy was alright with Kim attacking his hair.

"It's humiliating!" Zoro hissed, jerking his head away from Kim's grasp. However, the girl refused to be thwarted and grabbed his head and yanked it back, used to the protests. After all, she did practice her hair styling skills on her brothers. Ken had let her, knowing there was no way to stop his sister when she wanted something. Kaine and Mike were the protesters, just like Zoro.

"What's so humiliating about killing boredom?" Kim scoffed, managing to flatten Zoro's spiky hair somewhat. The swordsman huffed and grabbed her wrists, making

her quit messing with his hair. Kim pouted at him. "Zorooooo! I'm bored! Lemme play with your hair!"

"No!"

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed at them, and then groaned as his stomach gave a mighty growl. He ran his hand over his head, pulling out the barrettes and ponytails. The brunette looked crestfallen but accepted them without protest. After all, Luffy had been nice about it (unlike a certain moss head) so she couldn't complain.

"Why is it you two have absolutely no navigation skills?" Zoro frowned, shoving Kim onto Luffy's lap. She let out a yelp as her elbows knocked against the bottom of the boat. Luffy absentmindedly pulled her up while answering Zoro's question.

"What's wrong with just wandering?"

"I've never been off dry land," Kim sighed, her face half-buried in Luffy's elastic shoulder.

"Really?" Luffy blinked, and then grinned. "Me either! I just started sailing last week!"

Zoro groaned and slumped. Was he really stuck with these two idiots?

"There's nothing wrong with wandering, Zoro! You've been doing it too, going around and capturing pirates for rewards."

"When did I say I collected rewards for a living?" the swordsman snorted, leaning on the side of the boat. "I went out to sea to find a certain man. But I couldn't find my way back home and needed money. Delivering pirates to the Marines was the easiest way."

Kim and Luffy exchanged a look and turned to Zoro with identical deadpan expressions. "So, you're lost."

"SHUT UP! YOU'RE THE ONES THAT ARE LOST!" he bellowed, his face redder than a tomato. Kim snickered. "Geez, I've never heard of pirates that can't navigate. How do expect to go to the Grandline like this? You should hurry and find someone who knows how to navigate!"

Luffy was unaffected by Zoro's scolding and began ticking off positions that they needed to fill, cook and musician being the first ones on the list. After all, Luffy's stomach and the ever-so-important musician came first. Kim laughed.

However, her giggle-fit turned into a pathetic whimper as her stomach growled on time with the boys'. The three teens slumped to the bottom of the boat.

"Sooooo hungry. . . ." they whined.

For a long time, they simply laid there and watched the clouds pass overhead. Kim moved so that she was using Luffy's stomach as a pillow and her eyes drifted shut as Luffy began talking about eating some bird. Bird. . . Why did that give her a bad feeling?

Whump~!

The brunette shrieked in surprise as her head banged harshly against the bottom of the boat.

"Owww. . ." she wailed, rolling onto her good side and clutching her throbbing head.

"Oi," Zoro murmured, eyeing her with slight concern. "You okay?"

"Noooo!"

Why was Life being so cruel to her now? She didn't hurt half as much back home than she did in this world!

So far she had been attacked by Akane, dropped from the sky, shot and dropped on her head. Couldn't she get a break?!

"You know, I can't believe Luffy thought of something so smart. . ." Zoro trailed off and Kim looked up with mild surprise. Ah, Luffy was being carried off by a bird.

. . .

"Aiiie! LUFFY'S BEING CARRIED OFF BY A BIRD!" she shouted once the situation finally hit her. If the situation had been less serious, she would have found

"TOO SLOW!" Zoro snapped, slapping the back of her head irritably. Kim wailed again and hit at the end off the boat opposite Zoro, a dark aura hanging over her.

She now had two, rather large bumps on her head, one from the bottom of the boat and the other from Zoro's fist.

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?!" Zoro shouted at Luffy as we rowed frantically after him. "Geeez, why am I stuck with such stupid people?!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Kim snapped at him, her amber eyes flashing.

"Exactly what I said!"

"You wanna fight?!"

"Later!"

"I'll hold you to it~!"

Kim and Zoro glared at each other for a moment longer. Kim now understood the reason her brother liked to fight with people so much. It was exhilarating! Not just the verbal battle, but the prospect of an impending fight sent Kim's blood racing. Ah, this world was getting to her already. But maybe she could keep her developing battle-addiction down somewhat by sparring with Luffy or something. If Sanji didn't beat him up every five seconds for fighting with a girl. . .

"Heeeeey! Stop the boat!"

"Stop! Help us, please!"

"What?! More people to rescue?!" Zoro shouted, looking extremely irritated with the entire situation. Kim couldn't blame him for it. She was feeling irritable herself, especially with the headache she had at the moment. Her arm was beginning to throb again as well. And she was still hungry!

"Just jump on!" she snapped at the three Buggy pirates floating in the water. "We don't have the time to stop!"

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><p><strong>Chapter Eleven (Evil Woman; What Happened at the Bar; Flee; The Dog)<strong>

**[Alt. Ending]**

After Boodle left, she found a large pot in the cupboards and used it like a bucket for all the food she took from the fridge. Once she was satisfied that she had enough food to sustain even Luffy, she lifted it up awkwardly, her inured arm throbbing with overuse and strain, and waddled upstairs. "Zoro! I come bearing food!"

The swordsman cracked open an eye to give her a blank look before sitting up and taking a loaf of bread out of the pot. He grinned around the soft bread and devoured it quickly before reaching for more food. Kim hastily took out some food for herself and left the pot to the wolf, aka: Zoro.

The two spent the next few minutes exchanging verbal jabs and insults between bites of their meal, enjoying each other's company in the strangest of ways.

I wonder if this'll be able to go on when Sanji joins the crew, she mused, chewing on a pickle. She loved pickles~!

She grinned at Zoro again as he laid back and made himself comfortable, making a snipe about her hair. The brunette tossed her long locks over her shoulder and leaned forward with an evil look, going to work on criticizing the green grass on his head.

Life was good for the moment. She could forget about having to fight a crazy clown and serious injuries as long as her mind was working on creating insults for her arguments with Zoro. It was good for her mental health.

0o0

**Chapter Eleven (Evil Woman; What Happened at the Bar; Flee; The Dog)**

**[Original device Akane gave Kim]**

"Here they are!" Akane said finally, grinning as he pulled a couple of things from the bottom of his backpack and tossing them to Kim. The brunette yelped, barely managing to catch them. "Those will help you in this world!" The red head nodded sagely, looking extremely pleased with himself.

"What are they?" Kim asked, peering at them curiously.

The first was about the size of a very small laptop computer and built like a Nintendo DS. It was a silvery gray color and had a few gold markings on it that vaguely resembled some kind of lizard. When Kim flipped it open, she was surprised to find that had a glowing screen on the top half and a keyboard on the bottom. The keyboard was set up like a typical English one with all the usual keys and a few extra ones that Kim didn't recognize. There was one that laptops didn't usually have. A camera button. Kim raised it up and took a picture of the red head, who grinned at her.

"That is an encyclopedia of sorts. It functions like a laptop and is constantly being updated with information from your world. You cannot, however, interact with anyone. Compare it to being on Facebook and not being able to 'chat' with anyone. Whenever a new chapter of One Piece is published, you will receive a notification and the chapter will 'pop up' so that you can read it. The same goes for certain episodes and movies.

"This world isn't set strictly to the timeline of the manga or anime and it's quite possible that the two will merge somehow. Your presence in this world will have a butterfly effect, as well. It might take some time to become noticeable, but you will eventually see the effects of your actions. Be careful not to change anything too big."

"Like Marineford?" Kim asked dejectedly, put out by the fact she might not be able to save Ace's life. Akane pointedly avoided looking her in the eyes.

"Well," he coughed, toeing the ground like a child beating around the bush. "I might make a few adjustments of my own. I am still working out the bugs. . ."

"Marineford has to happen, though." Kim frowned, her mind working quickly. "It would be pretty bad if the time skip didn't happen. And if Newgate doesn't die, then Big Mom won't take over Fishman Island. If that doesn't happen, Luffy won't be able to take control of it from her and I don't know what kind of repercussions that might have on this world."

"Exactly." Akane pouted, looking just as disappointed as Kim felt. "I would rather not have people die when I can do something about it. I won't feel too bad about Newgate dying, though. He is an admirable person, but he is quite old and sick. At least, old in your terms. I will try to save the Portgas boy, though."

"Well, let me know what you decided about that." Kim sighed, annoyed by the lack of animosity they were having. She was feeling very bipolar lately. Pissed off like Hell one second and then having a civil conversation with the guy she was angry with the next.

"Aa," Akane agreed. "The other thing I gave you is what you would call a familiar." The brunette perked up, an excited grin spreading across her face and making her cheeks ache.

"Really?!" she squealed, stuffing the encyclopedia into her backpack – she decided that she was just going to call the thing a laptop and be done with it – and holding the other object up so that she could get a better look at it.

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><p><strong>Chapter Twelve<strong>

**[Original Ending]**

Wow, they're more confident than they were earlier. Must be because they're close to their captain or something. Man, this is so troublesome. Now I have to waste my time fighting them. At this rate I'll never get back to the fight on time!

Kim irritably slapped the blade away from her and pulled out her switchblade, shoving the man down and pressing the cold steel against his throat. Just the way her big brother taught her to. Seriously, Kim was certain Kaine was training her to be an assassin when she grew up!

"Just shut up and listen." She snarled, fixing him with one of her most intimidating glares, something else Kaine had taught her to do. The man cowered beneath the girl. His two crewmates backed away apprehensively. "You and your buddies are going to put that stuff in the boat for me and then, maybe, I'll reconsider killing you. Understand?"

She wouldn't really kill him, but he didn't need to know that, did he now?

Kim's scare tactics pulled through and the man nodded hastily but stopped when the switchblade nicked his throat, drawing a thin line of blood. Satisfied, she pulled the knife away and stood up straight.

"Great! Now get to work."

"H-hai, Leonore-hime!"

Ah, it was good to be queen~! Or, princess as they kept calling her. Either was fine.

Kim loved being a pirate.


End file.
